A CPR dump protocol is when a medical provider determines a patient positioned on an inflatable bladder which is positioned over a support surface needs to bottom out to the support surface. Bottom out means the patient contacts the support surface. It is an objective in the CPR dump protocol for the inflatable bladder to be completely deflated of any air, but realistically, the inflatable bladder contains some residual air and that residual air does not prevent the patient from contacting at least a portion of the support surface.
There are numerous types of mattresses containing inflatable bladders. Some of those mattresses contain an inflatable bladder arrangement with a number of separate zones, and a control unit that separately controls the pressure in each zone. Such a mattress is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,136. While mattresses of this type have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been satisfactory in all respects.
At least where there is a plurality of zones, the mattress unit is often an integral part of an entire bed. Since the mattress is the entire bed and has various bladders, the mattress unit normally deflates slowly. In some instances, the mattress unit must deflate in seconds, not minutes. Such rapid deflation is necessary when the patient requires emergency care, such as, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This rapid deflation is commonly called a CPR dump protocol.
A conventional CPR dump, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,136, entails pushing a CPR button. That CPR button causes the control unit to deflate the bladders. That control unit opens all the valves and reverses the direction of the blower so the blower sucks air out of the bladders. The “sucked air” enters a manifold. That manifold directs the “sucked air” into a conduit that expels the “sucked air” from the mattress unit.
Obviously, that CPR dump system, of U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,136, has numerous mechanical operations that must operate properly to deflate the numerous bladders. If one of those mechanical operations (the electrical connection between the CPR button and the other electrical instruments, i.e., the blower and valves, the blower must timely switch its direction and speed, the valves must switch, the manifold must be capable of directing all the “sucked air” into the single conduit, and the single conduit must be large enough to direct the “sucked air” out of the manifold) does not properly or timely operate then the CPR dump system essentially malfunctions. Such malfunctions are extremely deleterious to the patient and should be avoided.
Gaymar Industries, Inc. proposed an alternative CPR dump system in U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,855. In that patent, Gaymar wrote, “The system includes a mattress unit, inflatable bladder means, an air control unit, a manifold plate and a quick release plate. The mattress unit has therein the inflatable bladder means, has operational and collapsed states in which the bladder means is respectively inflated and deflated, has an exterior surface which includes an upwardly facing top portion in the operational state, and has at one end a foot section. In the foot section, the mattress unit also has a portion of the bladder means and has means defining in the foot section below the portion of the bladder means the air control unit within the mattress unit. The air control unit has a manifold plate that interconnects the inflation means to the bladder means. The manifold plate has a set of female receptacles open to the exterior surface of the mattress unit. The quick release plate has a set of male connectors that correspond to the female receptacles. Each male connector has a slidable variance, permitting it to be removably received from the corresponding female receptacle. Thus, when any pulling force from any direction is applied to the quick release plate, the quick release plate disengages from the manifold plate resulting in the bladder means deflating within a predetermined time frame.” That CPR dump system is applicable if a quick release plate can be used in association with a manifold. That is not always possible due to size constraints.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an inflatable mattress system that has a CPR dump system that decreases any possible malfunctions and able to be used in confined areas.
A further object of the invention is to provide a mattress system wherein a person with limited training can perform the CPR dump protocol safely and effectively in a prescribed time frame.